Election explainer
US Senate Elections 2026: How to Follow the State Races
A practical guide to Senate seats, special elections and official state sources, without treating a watchlist as a prediction.
Start with the seats on the ballot
Senators serve six-year terms. Class II seats reach the end of their current term in January 2027, making them the regular Senate election class for 2026. A special election fills a vacancy under the applicable state rules; it should be identified separately from a regular six-year contest.
Use a state watchlist carefully
Our Senate page links to election offices in Georgia, Michigan, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio and Alaska. These are a starting point for following state reporting, not a ranking of competitiveness, a polling average or a forecast. Confirm the race, candidates and election type on the relevant state website.
Compare like with like
Check whether a published number refers to ballots counted, precincts reporting or an estimate of votes outstanding. Those measures are different. Keep the source and reporting time beside any comparison, and avoid treating a partial count as the final electorate.
Check the result status
A media projection and a state-certified result are different milestones. Recounts, provisional ballots and other post-election processes may affect when an outcome becomes final. Our selected-race records display the status and source individually.